The World Anti-Doping Agency is considering rewriting its rules in an attempt to ban President Donald Trump and all U.S. government officials from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, a move that could also have implications for the World Cup hosted by the United States this summer.
The proposal, which is on the agenda for next Tuesday’s meeting of the global anti-drug regulator’s executive committee, is the latest step in years of refusal by the U.S. government to pay annual dues to WADA. The rejection is part of bipartisan protests across the U.S. government over the agency’s handling of cases involving Chinese swimmers and other issues.
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The AP learned about the agenda item through correspondence obtained by WADA and European officials involved in the agency’s decision-making. Two other people with knowledge of the agenda confirmed the existence of the proposed rules to The Associated Press; they were not authorized to speak publicly about the agenda, which has not been released publicly.
“This is nothing new,” WADA spokesman James Fitzgerald said, noting that discussions about how to handle the government’s withholding of funds have been ongoing since 2020 and are not directly related to the U.S.
In fact, the proposal was first proposed in 2024, when US authorities successfully lobbied to reject it. The United States has since lost its seat on the Executive Council.
Sara Carter, director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), said: “Despite the growing threat from WADA, we remain steadfast in demanding accountability and transparency from WADA to ensure fair competition in sport.”
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The rule, if passed, would be largely symbolic, given the restrictions international sports federations may place on a country’s president attending events within its own borders.
“I have never heard of a Swiss foundation with a budget of $50 million being able to enforce a rule that, for example, prevents the president of the United States from going anywhere,” said Carter’s predecessor at the ONDCP, Rahul Gupta, who served on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) executive committee two years ago and led the campaign to reject the proposal. “The next question you have to ask is: How are you going to enforce this? Are they going to issue an Interpol red notice? That’s ridiculous. It’s clear they haven’t thought it through.”
WADA says action may be taken quickly, but impact on upcoming World Cup unclear
The proposal calls for Tier 3 sanctions against countries that fail to pay their dues. Taking the United States as an example, the amount of fines last year was approximately US$3.7 million, plus an unpaid US$3.6 million in 2024. The most severe sanctions include “a ban on government representatives from major events such as the World Championships, Olympics and Paralympics.”
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They include Trump, Vice President Vance and members of Congress, who recently approved hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for security and other logistics for the World Cup and Los Angeles Olympics.
Fitzgerald said the next meeting of the WADA Foundation board would not formally approve any action until November, suggesting the rule would not be implemented in time for the World Cup. He did not immediately respond to specific questions about how Trump’s standing at the World Cup might be affected.
But in response to questions from European authorities about timing, WADA wrote: “The proposal can be implemented immediately without undue delay. If necessary, the Foundation Board may consider the proposal by circular or at a special meeting.”
According to the draft proposal, the rule will apply to governments that have not paid their dues by January 31 of the year after the bill is issued. Since 2023, the United States has not paid its WADA dues.
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Representatives from the International Olympic Committee, FIFA and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee did not respond to emails from The Associated Press seeking comment on how the ban against Trump and other U.S. officials would be enforced.
The United States has been demanding that WADA undergo an independent audit
WADA’s budget for 2025 is set at $57.5 million. Half of its funding comes from the International Olympic Committee and the other half from governments around the world. Government contributions roughly depend on the size of its sports teams, and the United States has been among the largest payers.
The row has been festering since the first Trump administration and is rooted in U.S. distrust of the global anti-doping system. The global anti-doping system first came under international scrutiny for its handling of the Russian doping scandal ahead of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
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Then, in 2024, it was revealed that 23 Chinese swimmers – some of whom were on the Paris Olympic team – were allowed to compete despite testing positive. WADA has accepted the theory of China’s doping regulator that athletes were contaminated with trace amounts of banned heart drugs in hotel kitchens.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy and Congress under the Trump and Biden administrations have withheld payments to WADA.
In the latest conflict, the government restricted payments until WADA undergoes an independent audit. WADA defended its auditing practices and reiterated its call for the United States to pay its dues at last month’s Cortina Games in Milan.
Now, the agency is seeking more leverage.
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“This initiative is designed to better protect WADA’s funds so that it can fulfill its mission of protecting integrity in sport,” WADA spokesman Fitzgerald said. “If WADA’s funding is cut, it will ultimately be the athletes who suffer. Indeed, athletes, including members of WADA’s Executive Committee and Foundation Board of Directors, have continually expressed their support for this move.”
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Associated Press reporter Darlene Superville contributed in Washington.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
